[Qgis-developer] Usability of searches

[Bernhard Ströbl]

Hi Paolo,

some comments below

Am 09.03.2016 um 11:11 schrieb Paolo Cavallini:
> Hi all,
>
> perhaps I'm missing something, but I find usability of current search
> mechanism a bit cumbersome. AFAICT, to search a set of features, the
> user should:
> * select on the legend the layer to be searched
> * open the attribute table
> * select the Column filter button, selecting one column
> * insert the condition
> * click Apply
> * click on Zoom to selection.
> Alternatively, one can use the Select by expression tool.
> Is there a more straightforward way?

Well, I normally use the select by expression button, which (obviously) 
saves a lot of clicks
>
> I would suggest a simpler mechanism:
> * click on a dedicated Search button
> * select the layer to be searched from a dropdown of the layers in legend

I would vote against this because
1) it breaks with the standard behaviour "make layer active - press 
button for action with this layer" (information button, make-editable 
button...)
2) with many layers in the project you will hate it :-)

> * show a form (with the dropdowns etc., as defined for the layer) where
> the user can select or type (with autocompletion and automatic selection
> of ranges) the search criteria
> * automatically zoom to selected items.

I implemented these in my plugin DataDrivenInputMask (for PostGIS layers 
only) on a user request, and I use it a lot, so I reckon this would be 
interesting for other users (and data providers), too

>
> Alternatively:
> * add a Search entry for each layer, besides the Filter one, in the
> legend > Right click.

+1 (a lot better than the universal search button and in line with e.g. 
the make-editable button)

>
> Would this make sense?
>
> All the best.
>

my 2 cents
Bernhard



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